Netflix Leaves Me Hanging On 'Dexter'

Sarah has been trying to catch up on the Showtime series Dexter over Netflix, but she’s been stuck in the middle since early September because Neftlix won’t get the next disc to her.

She’s stuck in perpetual suspense as the Netflix gnomes struggle to find the cure for what ails her. She writes:

I have been a Netflix subscriber for five years, since November 2004. I’ve never had any issues with Netflix, and always highly recommended the company above other rental options, especially Blockbuster. What I’ve been dealing with lately, however, has me strongly doubting my loyalty to the company and my faith in its service.

I am a big fan of the Showtime series “Dexter.” In May or June of this year, I added Dexter season 3 to my Netflix queue, even though it was not scheduled for release until late August. It sat in the “saved” section of the queue, and as soon as it was released I moved all discs to the top positions. Short wait at first, which is typical for a new release, but I received disc 1 just in time for the Labor Day weekend (August 30), watched it, and sent it back; it was received by Netflix on September 3rd.

It has now been 2.5 months – today marks 75 days – since then, and I still have not seen disc 2 of the season. It’s been at the top of my queue, along with the rest of the series, but has had “long wait” as the expected availability status the entire time (note: it has not said “very long wait,” only ever “long wait.”)

What’s interesting is if one goes to the FAQ/Help section on Netflix.com, there is an explanation of “long wait”: “Long Wait: This means there is a serious demand for the title and the wait is generally less than 14 days.” I’m no mathematician, but I know 75 days is significantly longer than 14.

I gave Netflix a lot of leeway on this one, because I do understand that there is a high demand for new releases, I had other discs to keep me entertained, and oh, I have better things to do than fret about when I can watch more of my show.

Two weeks ago, though, I did call Netflix customer service regarding this issue, and was told that this was an unexpectedly popular series, and that there were “more problems with disc 2 than with other discs in the series,” which the rep went one to explain meant breakage, lost discs, etc. He said there was nothing they could do about my issue except be patient, to which I said I’d been patient in waiting 2+ months to contact them. When the call ended, I received an auto-gen. customer service survey, which I responded to by politely but firmly expressing my disappointment in Netflix and explaining this specific issue; as of now, I have received no follow-up or further response, so I’m turning to the Consumerist.

I realize this is a petty issue compared to many of the stories you receive, but I wanted to share my frustration at what I feel is a completely ridiculous situation. One that could seemingly be resolved by Netflix springing for more copies of this series, following the basic rules of supply and demand. The demand is here, Netflix, so supply it… before your subscribers turn away.

One quick, easy solution would be to sign up for a Blockbuster Total Access free trial, fill up on Dexter then cancel the account. Wow, it feels weird recommending Blockbuster to someone.